Day 4 & 5 in Newquay: High Up in the Blue Sky

Despite a potential forecast of rainfall, I was very lucky that my time throughout Newquay was blessed with amazing sunshine and comforting temperatures. Even after spending my first day here visiting all these incredible beaches, I just couldn’t get enough of it! So I decided to continue to head west, passing by Porth Beach again and journey beyond to Watergate Beach. 🏖

Perfect weather for a day out!

Watergate Beach is quite far out in Newquay – about a 30-minute walk from Porth Beach along the high cliffs on the coast, so I definitely did well in my step counts for the day! 😂 On the way, I also passed by Whipsiderry Beach – a quiet, hidden little spot underneath the tall cliffs (possibly the tallest one out of them all I felt!) If you aren’t a fan of stairs, this place is definitely quite a ‘journey’ to get to going down and back up. 😤 (At least it wasn’t like when I tried to climb the Eiffel Tower on foot two years ago…)

The beach hidden under the tall cliffs (after a VERY long flight of stairs… 😪)

Getting down those cliffs to the beach felt like an adventure though!

Even though the stairs in Whipsiderry Beach completely wore me out, I finally managed to slowly made my way around the coast to Watergate Beach. It was a great spot for me to finally to sit down for some lunch! (Bought a salad meal deal from Tesco, along with my rocky road bar that I kept all this time from Penzance! 😂)

Snacking on my rocky road bar on the beach 😬

Watergate beach was very busy which I wasn’t as much of a fan of, so I decided to head back to Porth beach (personally it was my favourite one out of all the beaches) to enjoy the sunshine! 😎

Taking a dip in the water 💦

Sunbathing on the low-tide Porth Beach 😎🏖

After a bit of a nap and sky-gazing, it was almost dinner time! Newquay really had given me a feel of the Mediterranean, so I was feeling a crave for tapas! 😋 Unfortunately, two of the top-rated tapas bar were closed for the day, so I decided to try another recommended place called the Fish Bar. This place is a great value for money, offering a three-tapas tasting platter for only £15 in the bar area. (The main dining area of the restaurant was fully filled.) The food, especially the dessert, was absolutely delicious! So glad to have come to this place after all! 👍👍👍

Spectacular dessert 💛💛: Sicilian semifreddo ice cream bomb with a Limoncello core coated in crushed meringue

Incredible! 😍😍💛🤍💛🤍

The next morning, I had some time to kill before my train around lunchtime, and headed to the Blue Reef Aquarium by Towan Beach. Like many other places now, bookings need to be made in advance online due to COVID restrictions. I booked my ticket two days ago when I arrived in Newquay – still places are limited, so do make sure you book ahead of time if you can. (I initially wanted to visit the day before, but all tickets were sold out within a day. It is half term break after all! 😛)

I’ve never heard of a Unicorn tang until now

He kept popping his head out from the water! It was cute! 💚

After visit the aquarium, I took a walk down the town centre and got my belly filled before my long 5-hour train journey home. ☺️🚂

Brunch in Fore Street Café Bar before long train ride back to London 🚂 🌃

Mad dash to the train station with my ice cream in hand! 😂🍨🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️Until the next time!

Day 3 From Penzance to Newquay: Closer to Paradise

It was almost a bit difficult saying goodbye to Penzance but knowing it was the beginning of another journey made it all the more easier! 😂 After a 2-hour train journey (with a changeover in Par), I arrived in Newquay just around lunchtime when the sun continues to be hanging high up in the sky! 🌞

The beautiful sea view of my hotel room towards Towan Beach

After dropping off my stuff in the hotel, I wasted no time heading down to the coast (starting from Towan Beach heading west to Fistral Beach) and enjoyed the beautiful views of the deep blue sea under the bright blue sky. 💙💙

Busy beach indeed! 🏖

I wonder who lives in these houses in this amazing spot? 🤔

Just as busy here!

Look at the waves! 🌊 🌊

The Headland Hotel looking over the beach

Situated by Fistral Beach is The Fish House – highly recommended by the Michelin guide, and it certainly didn’t disappointed! I know I had been having a lot of seafood lately, but this one certainly topped it for me! 🔥🔥 I was very lucky too to be able to get a booking as I managed to reserve the only spot available this month last night, so if you are planning to visit make sure you look well ahead of time as the restaurant is an extremely popular choice!

“Grilled scallops with pea and mint purée and crispy Serrano ham” – the purée was so good I licked the shells clean! 😝💚

“Panko sesame fried tiger prawns with mangetout, fresh coconut and chilli salad with curried mayonnaise” – that salad I can eat a full bowl of! 🤤

Got a bit greedy with ice cream flavours! 😂 The four I chose were roasted coconut; lemon curd; blood orange sorbet and passion fruit sorbet.

After an amazing lunch, it was time to walk off the calories by exploring the beach and coastline! 😉 I walked across almost the entirety of Newquay from west to east, eventually reaching Lusty Glaze Beach and Porth Beach.

Exploring barefoot 🦶 along Fistral Beach

Looking for little fishes lol! 🐟🐟

Newquay Bay on the left and Fistral Bay on the rjght

This building reminded me of those in Greece

Keep dragging my trainers 👟 into the water 😂💦

As the sun set over Newquay, I ventured out into Porth Island (as the last destination for the day) hoping to get a full view of the beautiful scenery.

Heading back to the hotel – can’t wait for more tomorrow!

Day 1 & 2 in Penzance: Summer Lovin’

Happy bank holiday from the U.K.! Such a blessing to have the holiday and my week off coinciding with the hottest day of the year thus far! ☀️☀️ Hope you all had a great day too as I have most certainly enjoyed my time here in Penzance! 😁

Penzance is one of the most southern towns in the U.K., lying within Cornwall. It was a long train ride from London with the whole journey covering over 5 hours and a changeover in Plymouth (where I visited last summer!) – but I figured it was the time to do it now with me having an entire week off work! 🚂

I was most certainly prepared for the long train ride as I have done lots of food shopping 🛍 before hopping on to the train! (And yes, I finished everything just on the first train alone! 😂 Unfortunately a 15-minute delay caused me to miss my changeover in Plymouth, so I ended up making a quick stop there before moving on to the next train (which was also further delayed. 😅)

Revisiting Plymouth after last year 😂- but I only had enough time to hop to the shops so didn’t get a chance to see its beautiful coast again

After over an hour behind the initial scheduled time, I finally arrived in Penzance and I was immediately in awe of the slight Mediterranean feel of the place! 🏖 Weather wasn’t the best when I arrived on Sunday but I was still definitely on a holiday mood – though this place seemed to be a bit of a dead zone for phone signal! 😂📱(Maybe it will be actually good for me to be off the grid for once…? 😝)

Twilight by the shore (looking towards Newlyn)

My initial plan was to visit Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar in Newlyn for dinner (the place seems to be extremely popular and does not take bookings, so couldn’t even reserved beforehand.) Newlyn is a seaside town and fishing port situated just right next to Penzance accessible by just a relatively short walk (around 20 minutes from my hotel.) Sadly, the train delays earlier meant that I couldn’t make it in time before the restaurant closed at 9. And it appeared that, in general, most places in Penzance were closed by that time- including the hotel restaurant… 😴🌙 (I guess it was a Sunday after all or perhaps I am just too used to all the late night openings in London 😅.) Thank goodness though I didn’t have to starve for the night as I eventually managed to find a kebab place in the town centre (after much searching! 😂)

Kedgeree and poached egg for breakfast in the hotel- my first time having kedgeree!

Despite many bumps in my first day of travel (as per usual for me 😂), I woke up this morning with a fresh determination wanting to make the most of my day – with a morning swim in the Jubilee Pool. 🏊‍♂️

Geothermal pool on the right next to the main swimming area

Loving the sun ☀️ and water 🌊

The pool is very unique in that it extends directly into the sea, making it a landmark in the area. (I certainly loved the Art Deco feel of it! 💙) Due to COVID restrictions now, bookings must be made in advance. Luckily, the main swimming area is readily available for bookings (up to one hour before the time slots- but only the shallow end is opened for use right now, which is fine with me as I am not that massively strong of a swimmer anyway. 😂) Sadly, the geothermal pool is now completely booked until next month. ☹️ Would have loved to go into the geothermal pool as the water in the main swimming area is rather cold 🥶 – so a lot of us just ended up “walking” and paddling along the pool, or just sunbathing by the poolside lol. 😎 Still great fun though! (And I will take it as my workout for the day done!)

Heading to Newlyn (for the second time lol!)

After a quick shower back in the hotel, I made my way to Newlyn hoping it will be a second time lucky!🤞 Literally went there banged on before their opening time at 12, so was seated very quickly. 😉 The seafood dishes were all very fresh and delicious, so I was so very tempted to order a dessert as well!

Menu of Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar- what would you have picked? 😋

From the left: pan seared scallops, grilled mackerel and crab salad

Raspberry fool (coulis and whipped cream) with Amaretti biscuits – simple and lovely! ❤️❤️

With my stomach full, I ventured out into the town of Newlyn, aiming to make my way on foot to the fishing village of Mousehole (one of my main goals of this travel!) The 1-hour coastal walk is beautiful especially on a sunny day like today! 🌞

Full view of Newlyn Harbour (looking back at Penzance)

Afterwards, it was time for a quick recharge in Rock Pool Café- enjoying a drink and some food in the open view to the coast before exploring the rest of Mousehole! 🥰

A drink under the sun🍹😎 in Rock Pool Café

Homemade mackerel pâté with gluten-free toasts

Everyone is out enjoying the heat and sunshine! ☀️🔥🔥

A tropical fruit smoothie 🥭🍍 to round off the day!

After taking the shuttle bus from Mousehole back to Penzance- I settled in for an easier night in with a supper from a well-established fish and chips shop just right next to the hotel. (There was quite a queue!)

Loved the battered Cornish hake with the curry sauce and mushy peas! 😋

This is not the end of my journey in Cornwall yet! More to come tomorrow, so stay tuned! 😉

Kicking Off the Long Week Off

Happy Friday, everyone! Just a short post today before I am heading into my week-long break from work. 👌👌 (Some plans for this week ahead so will keep you all posted! 😉) Not only did I manage to organise a mini celebration for a colleague’s (belated) birthday at work today 🥳🎉 , but also went out for a top dinner with friends in the central area. 😋 Life is doing good right now! 😆

My chocolate cake for the birthday celebration! (My first time trying to make these white chocolate feathers and they turn out rather well!)

Drizzling gravy over my bunless fried chicken burger in MEATLiquor in Queensway

What are you up to this weekend? 🙂

Journey to the End of the World

Today marks my last day in Folkestone, but there is still plenty of time to kill before I make my way back home. There is so much to do in this small town, I wish I am staying around for longer!

Lobster & Scallop Sunday brunch by Folkstone Harbour

After checking out the hotel, I visited a seafood bar right in front of the harbour and enjoyed a luxurious brunch (it was a £20 whole lobster 🦞, which to me was quite a bargain!) Though I needed to keep warring off a seagull who had been eyeing my food from the get go! 😠 Once I finished and left the table to get some tissue, it wasted no time hopping onto my leftovers and took off with the empty lobster shell! 🐦😂 (Sneaky bird!)

Today’s weather was much more pleasant compared to how it was the past days, so I decided to journey along the other side of the coast, heading into the Folkestone Warren area.

Wasn’t too cold for a mango ice cream! 🍨

🌊 🌊

The hotel receptionist did warn me it was tough to get to the beach area down Folkestone Warren, and boy, was he right! I somehow picked the more difficult route along the coast too (typical me- as I found out later I would have had a much easier time walking uphill past the golf courses then back down.) The slippery mud along the path 💦 resulted from the rain the previous days certainly didn’t help (and I really should get a different pairs of shoes besides my usual flat trainers… 😓) The views were definitely worth the effort though! I would take it as my workout for the day done!

The ‘easier’ path uphill which I didn’t take… 🤷‍♂️

Journey on! 🥾

Was so knackered by this point… 😑 (My trainers were covered in mud by then!)

Finally down by the beach! 😀 (Getting through that large pile of rocks was also tricky haha!)

Took the chance to rinse off my trainers in the water! 😂

So calming here! 😌

Had this ‘End of the World’ 🌎 feeling here 😮

‘Exercise’ done – it’s time to head back to the town centre to get a bubble tea to recharge! (The two ladies in the shop were so nice and funny. Turned out they were both from London too! We had a great chat about Folkestone and why they decided to settle here. Maybe I should do the same? 😂)

I am going to miss little town! What a special place Folkestone is! 💚💚

A Long-Waited Weekend Getaway

A weekend like this has been a long time coming! With lockdown easing finally allowing overnight stay this week, I wasted no time a few days ago booking my city break from London. As soon as I got off work on Friday, I jumped on an Uber to the train station and away we go! 🚞🚞

For this trip, I picked the coastal town of Folkestone just to be close to the sea. The town overlooks the English Channel and is a nice little tourists’ attraction along the English coast. Taking that into account, I also picked a hotel situated by the seafront. Weather, however, was not on my side from the get-go with strong gusts of wind 🌬🌬 (and rain 🌧) throughout the Friday evening. (Mind you I did expect it as the weather in London have been absolutely miserable this past week too ☹️) In fact it was so windy, I was struggling to even walk (and snap photos 📸 – in fear of my phone getting blown away into the sea! 🌊) So, I basically retreated to my hotel room and restaurant for dinner.

Storm in the harbour 💨💨 (You might just be able to make out the large ripple on the water)

Knowing lockdown easing will probably mean that restaurants may be fully booked up, I spent some time before my trip calling up restaurants to reserve tables for me. (Which is very unlike me as I usually just go on the fly! 😂) After going some researches online, I decided to head to Marleys for dinner on Friday. Absolutely loved the food there and it’s cute, cosy interior! 💓

So cute! (I do miss playing Scrabble! 😂)

Crispy sweet potato balls with beetroot hummus

The best tuna steak ever! 🤤🤤 (It even smelt incredible!)

The staff were all very warm and welcoming, and to top it it off – I think I had the best tuna I had ever eaten in my entire life! 🐟 Perfectly cooked to medium rare and well seasoned – I couldn’t get enough of it honestly! 😂

The next morning after enjoying some ‘me-time’ in the bath 🛁 (and the night before! 😂) I decided to head along the coast as the weather took a nicer turn! (Thank goodness! 🙌🙌)

The Folkestone pier was just simply breathtaking. The sea was so calming and the view truly did throw away all my worries for the week out the window (albeit temporarily! 😂) It really let me appreciate the freedom of being able to travel again.

I also headed to the creative quarter – a quirky, colourful area of the town. Marleys where I visited yesterday was also situated in this unique alley.

Meet Oliver the Octopus! 🍰 🍰 (so impressed by the artistry of this cake!)

When you are in a coastal town by the sea, surely seafood is a must, right? 🦪🦐🦀🐟 Hence my visit to the Harbour Inn for lunch (again booked in advance.)

Yum! Yum! What a feast!

After the luxurious seafood lunch, I left the restaurant just as rain poured heavily over the town. ☔️☔️ Just so happened I left my phone charger in the hotel, I walked back into my room with my trousers 👖 all soaked. 💦

After taking yet another hot bath and a brief nap in the room, I decided to head to the beachfront (umbrella in hand of course!) as the rain started to fade. Walking gradually into the sun, I was taken by surprise of an amazing view from behind! 🥰🌈

And more colourful surprises down the beach! (I think folks in Folkestone really do love their colours haha!) Maybe I should think about moving here lol? 😂🤔

To cap off the day, I went back to the Folkestone harbour for some light seafood snacking by the water.

And a nojito – can’t get better than this for a Saturday night! 🍸

And lastly, a few more snaps of the pier as night falls. ✨✨

Oh, and also, happy Eurovision day! (Caught the last hour or so of it back in my hotel room! 😂)

Day Out in Chiswick

As lockdown easing will hopefully continue on Monday, there is most definite a great sense of normality back in life. Weather in London is as turbulent as ever though as we went through a cycle of rain, sun, rain and more sun throughout the day – but what great fun I had enjoying a day out with my best friend! 😁

We decided to visit Junkyard Market in Chiswick, and after running a bit late on the London tube, I arrived at the outdoor venue just as the rain was about to fall. 🙁🌧

But thankfully as busy as the tent area was, we eventually managed to find a spot to sit down. Due to COVID measures, all orders were done through the app and QR code at the table – but it did allow easier browsing in my opinion. I decided to order an African grilled chicken thigh with chips and also sausage and beans mac and cheese! 😋

It wasn’t long before the sun is shining back out again (typical London lol) and then very quickly back out again! 😂 It literally lasted about 10 minutes when we took our jackets 🧥 off enjoying the warm sun ☀️ before putting them back on again as the dark clouds came matching back! ☁️☁️ But I did grab a vegan ice cream just in time haha!

Quick snap before the dark cloud was coming back over us again! 😂

After staying cosy back in the tents to sit out the rain until it stopped, we decided to take a walk around Chiswick (juice 🥤 in hand) as we made some surprising art discoveries around the area! 🖼

A ‘Stay At Home’ mural made by students in the area really touched home for me
❤️❤️

This is such a cute sign in the park ☺️☺️

Stumbled upon this amazing-looking building!

Isn’t it just amazing how new discoveries are always around the corners? 😊 Hope all of you also have a lovely weekend!

The Joy of Eating Outside Again 😂

Hope everyone has been enjoying their weekend! In London, we are certainly blessed with some glorious weather in the past week! ☀️ ☀️ As my holiday is coming to an end soon, I had a look back to some of the food I have eaten in the past weeks as lockdown eased in the city… 😂

Hopefully it’s not too much haha… 🤫😂 (In particular, I have really missed visiting food markets.) Nonetheless, it’s just been so nice to be outdoor again and meeting people just like before.🙂 By no means am I taking these things for granted now, so you just have to enjoy life a day at a time! 😉

Let’s hope this joy continues!

Two Foodies’ Trip to Brighton

So it’s finally half term, which means I will be taking off a week away from work! YAY! 😁👏👏 It also just happened to coincide with with my mum’s work break, so we decided to travel together this time. 👵Obviously, with the current pandemic, we had to think long and hard about which was the best place to visit, and we finally settled on visiting Brighton for a four-night stay! 🌊

I baked some egg tarts the night before to take with me on the travel 😂

It wasn’t a long train ride to get to Brighton (and I took off immediately after work! 😂) This time, we had to travel separately, so I ended meeting my mum at the hotel there. With her working as a chef for a hotel group, we were also very lucky to get a free stay in the city. 😁👌

Greetings from the hotel! How cute are these! ❤️

Since my mum and I were both enthusiastic foodies, we were so happy to get to enjoy so many great food on this trip! 😋 One of the first places we visited was Riddle and Finns just by the Brighton Seafront. Nothing can really beat a luxurious seafood lunch by the sea! 🦀🐙🦪🐟 (And how can one possibly say no to seafood when you are in Brighton? 😉)

The view from the restaurant (before it started raining heavily! ☔️☔️) We were so lucky we chose to eat inside (not that my mum could stand the cold 🥶 anyway! 😂) as the people eating outside were then ushered back in all soaking wet!

Complimentary bread basket with four different condiments (our favourite was the mackerel 🐟 I really enjoyed the horseradish too but my mum wasn’t a fan! 😂 ) I thought it was really cute for them to serve the butter on a shell.

Starters: braised octopus with confit egg yolk and miso yoghurt (left), New England clam and bacon chowder (centre) and tempura monkfish cheeks with a jalapeño and basil dip (right)

Jersey oysters three ways: (From the left clockwise) Porthilly (deep fried with pickled vegetables), Oysters Rockefeller and creamy champagne sauce. 🦪🦪🦪

My mum is working hard to try to get all the crab meat out! 🤣

My favourite dishes there were the oysters (the Rockefeller style was the best of the three for me), octopus and the tempura monkfish cheeks (loved that dip!) The clam chowder was okay, but I personally would enjoy it less thick and the vegetables more cooked. My mum (who is even pickier than me with food) really enjoyed the oysters too, but she also liked the crab, though it was hard work and a messy job getting all the meat out! 😂 💪 Actually felt like a proper workout after! 🤣 (I found the dish okay, but we both thought the Malaysian coconut sauce was slightly too sweet and I wasn’t a massive fan of crab to begin with… 😅)

Luckily the rain stopped pouring when we finished our lunch, so we got to enjoy a stroll around the seafront and the city, including visiting the famous Brighton Pavilion. We snapped many pics! 😆📸

Look at the waves! 🌊 🌊

Love the market feel here with all the boutiques

Brighton is truly hidden gem with its ambient, relaxing atmosphere and a beautiful seaside. Over the new few days, it was such a delightful surprise to discover all these great food places within the city! 🤤🤤 Here are some of the best ones!

Delicious, healthy salad lunch in Foodilic 🥗 That mango and avocado salad was so yummy! It’s great value for money too – only £8.50 to sit in with one hot main and three side salads. Very generous portions too! We were so stuffed afterwards! 😬

Blue cheese pizza in Fatto a Mano. Simple and scrumptious! And I introduced Burrata to my mum – which she absolutely loved! 😂 (We wandered into this restaurant as a shelter when the sky suddenly started pouring 🌧🌧 one day. Weather hadn’t really been on our side throughout this trip… 😅)

When I visited Salisbury last month, I found a Roly’s Fudge store and bought some of these back for my work colleagues. They absolutely loved it and devoured the whole box before I got to try any. 😛 So I finally got to have some this times around, but I found them rather too sweet for my liking… 😖

Our last meal in Brighton was a French dinner in the Petit Pois Restaurant. 🇫🇷 And we managed to finish on a high as this was our favourite meal throughout the trip! 👍

Complimentary appetiser: apricot and chestnut croquettes

Starters: pan fried scallops with artichoke purée, apple and hazelnut salad (top) and classic garlic and parsley snails (bottom)

Bouillabaisse- fish soup with sea bass, mussels, squid, king prawn, seaweed and potato

Duck breast with celeriac Dauphinoise, grilled spring onions and blood orange sauce

We absolutely loved the earthy nuttiness of the croquette appetiser! 😋❤️ The dish of the night though was the scallops. The artichoke purée and the acidity of the apples marries perfectly with the lightness of the scallops. 🤤 My mum also really enjoyed her Bouillabaisse. For me, the duck breast was also very yummy with a medium-rare cook (which it’s how I always like my duck) and I wished they gave me more of that delicious blood orange sauce! 😂 I couldn’t get enough of it!

Once we finished dinner, we ran back into the hotel passing through a storm ☔️ ☔️ as the rainy night marked the end of our trip. 😝

Birthday Weekend Getaway: Salisbury and Stonehenge (Part 2)

I didn’t realise how tired I was last night until I was back in my hotel room and quickly fell fast asleep. 😴 Lately, I have been struggling with insomnia and intense dreams, so I was glad to wake up this morning feeling really refreshed. Guess this weekend away from London did do some good for me after all! ☺️

After enjoying a Full English in the pub area of the hotel (I genuinely was quite surprised to see that there were a good handful of people staying in the hotel last night 🙂) and another bath time 🛀 back in my room, I headed out to round off a few things in town and visited Salisbury Cathedral among a few other noticeable places in before hopping on the train back to London which was scheduled just after lunchtime. The weather was just as miserable as it was yesterday 😅🌧🌧, so it was a bit of a hassle at times juggling between the shoppings (mainly some sweets for my colleagues at work) and the umbrella in my hands. 😂🛍 ☔️ (I was determined not to lose my umbrella again today! 🤣)

Under the rain ☔️☔️

Sculptures in the park surrounding the cathedral

Army museum (Didn’t go in, since I spent too much already yesterday and try to save money… 😛)

Thought this was cute so took a picture lol… 😂

A monument in town centre with the Haunch of Venison just right behind it

A friend of mine who originated from Salisbury recommended me to check out the Haunch of Venison, a gastropub in the area. I loved the old, historical interior look of the pub immediately which made me the more excited to try out their game menu! 😋

Had a wander inside the pub 👀

The pigeon starter – loved the crispy kale it came with! 😋

Venison Sunday roast with a trio of sauces – horseradish, mint and cranberry

Now I am ready to board the train 🚂 with a full stomach!